Police say a 20-year-old man is lucky to be alive after he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed it on the E.C. Row Expressway Friday night.

Staff Sgt. Steve Bodri said the single-vehicle accident occurred at about 6:30 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of the expressway just east of Howard Avenue. Police and paramedics found the injured man lying in the median of the expressway with his 1981 Suzuki 650 motorcycle about 75 feet away in the middle of the road.

The man was taken to the hospital and was treated for non-life threatening injuries, suffering significant road rash to his head, chin and hands, said Bodri.

Police determined the man headed onto the expressway at the Dougall Avenue on ramp and after switching lanes into the passing lane, he lost control of his motorcycle just past Howard Avenue and crashed. No other vehicles were involved, said Bodri.

“He is fortunate to be alive, especially with the amount of traffic at that hour on the expressway on a Friday night,” said Sgt. Bodri.

He said a section of the expressway and the Dougall Avenue and Howard Avenue on ramps were closed for just over an hour until officers could determine whether collision reconstruction would be required following the accident.

Bodri said the man was charged with violating his licence restrictions because he only had his M1 beginner’s licence, which means he was restricted from driving on any highway with a speed limit of 100 km/h, such as the E.C Row.

Driver inexperience is believed to be the cause of the crash, said Bodri.

He said the motorcycle sustained about $5,000 in damages.

Windsor police investigate at the scene of a motorcycle accident in the eastbound lanes of E.C. Row near Howard Avenue in Windsor on Friday, April 26, 2013. (TYLER BROWNBRIDGE/The Windsor Star)

Windsor police investigate at the scene of a motorcycle accident in the eastbound lanes of E.C. Row near Howard Avenue in Windsor on Friday, April 26, 2013. (TYLER BROWNBRIDGE/The Windsor Star)

Windsor police investigate at the scene of a motorcycle accident in the eastbound lanes of E.C. Row near Howard Avenue in Windsor on Friday, April 26, 2013. (TYLER BROWNBRIDGE/The Windsor Star)

Windsor police investigate at the scene of a motorcycle accident in the eastbound lanes of E.C. Row near Howard Avenue in Windsor on Friday, April 26, 2013. (TYLER BROWNBRIDGE/The Windsor Star)

Lively discourse is the lifeblood of any healthy democracy and The Star encourages readers to engage in robust debates about our stories. But, please, avoid personal attacks and keep your comments respectful and relevant. If you encounter abusive comments, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. The Star is Using Facebook Comments. Visit our FAQ page for more information.